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ELECTRIC CARBON. N0. 281,048. Patented July 10, 1883.

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' ELECTRIC GARBON. r No 281,048. Patented July 10, 1883 WITNESSES IIVVENTOR Attorney UNITED STATES PATENT HERMAN FRASGH, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO,ASSIGNOR TO J. B. MERIAM, OF

- SAME PLACE.

ELECTRlC CARBON.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.

281,048, dated July 10, 1883.

Application filed January 19., 1883. (No model.)

' To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HERMAN Frmscn, of Cleveland, in the county ofCuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Electric Carbons; and I do hereby declare the followingto be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such aswill enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make anduse it, reference be- IO ing had to the accompanying drawings, whichform part of this specification.

My invention relates to the manufacture of carbon especially adapted foruse in making electric-light carbon rods or sticks; and it consists in aprocess for the manufacture of carbon frbm the products of petroleum,and also in process for preparing a carbonmixture for molding into anydesired shape, as will l1ereinafter he described, and pointed out in theclaims.

Heretofore carbon has been obtained in the distillation of petroleumfrom carbon residuum when the latter has been reduced to dryness; butsuch carbon is a decomposition product,

and is limited to the quantity obtained in the distillation ofpetroleum. My objeetis to obtain from hydrocarbon oils practically allof the carbon contained therein, and thus need not be restricted to thesmall percentage elimi- 0 nated in the destructive distillation ofpetroleum.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is afront elevation. Fig. 2 is aplan View. Fig. 3 is a transverse section, and Fig. 4 is a longitudinalvertical section. f

A. represents the ash-pit, and B the fire-box door. The ash-pitcommunicates with two fines, O O, which extend to the rear end of thefurnace, and then back and forth, forming return-fines, and having theirexit in the escapeilues D D at the front of the furnace, where theymerge into the stack or chimney E. The hearth of the furnace isconstructed of the til.- ingsc, which are placed directly over the finesG 0'. Upon the tilings a is placed a layer of asbestus, b, and upon thelatter are placed the tilings c, which are laid to break j oints withthe lower tilings, a. The arch F is covered with sand d and the wallsstrengthened by the rods At the front of the furnace is located thecharging-opening G, provided with a door, G. This door is located at asufficient distance above the hearth or floor of the furnace to allow ofthe proper charging of the furnace. At the sides and end of the furnaceare the doors H, which are placed on a level with the hearth or floorfor the removal of the carbon. An escape-pipe, I, communicates with theupper portion of the furnace-chamber, and is pro vided with astop-cockor valve, Apipe, J, connects with the pipe I, and leads beneath thegrate of the fire-box. Pipe J is provided with astop-cock or valve, 3'.The lower end of the chimney or stack is provided with a damper, K.Having described the construction and relative arrangements of myimproved furnace, I will now describe its operation.

I take distilled hydrocarbon of high density obtained by thedistillation of petroleum or other hydrocarbon oils, and mix-the samewith sulphuric or nitric acid. After the furnace has been heated, all ofthe doors being closed, the charging-door is opened and the compound ischarged into the furnace to the proper depth. When the temperaturereaches about 300 Fahrenheit, the mass being quite liquid, reactionbegins to take place, the hydrogen of the hydrocarbon combining with theoxygen of the acid, if sulphuric be used, or steam and nitrogenouscoinpounds when nitric acid is used. This reaction tends to stiffenthewhole mass, so that it becomes quite hard even before the temperature of500 Fahrenheit is reached. By continuing the operation and graduallyincreasing the temperature to, say, 1000 Fahrenheit or more, all of thedecompositionproducts, being volatile, are driven off, leaving a carboncoke upon the hearth of the furnace almost chemically pure, quite denseand dry, and easily removed, which is effected by opening the side doorsand inserting a slice-bar beneath the mass, breaking it up into piecesand removing them through the side doors. In charging the furnace thedamper K is opened to conduct the escaping flame into the chimney, andthus not interfere with the workmen. The gases generated in the furnacemay be allowed to escape or be conducted to the ash-pit and burned. Thequantity of coke obtained by the process described is a large percentageof the dense products of distillation of petroleum-tar carbon originallyemployed. The sludge oils and acid compounds which are drawn off in theordinary treatment of petroleum distillates may be subjected to the sametreatment, in which case the same reaction takes place and the samecarbon product is obtained, thereby very profitably utilizing what haveheretofore been regarded as the waste products of an oilrefinery. Thefurnace is so constructed that the heat will be evenly distributedbeneath the hearth, and the latter is made eomparatively thin, so thatthe heat may be readily transmitted to the charge. By means of the twolayers of tilings arranged to break joints and the intervening layer orpacking of asbestus'a perfectlytight hearth or floor is insured.

In the preparation of this carbon for electrio-light carbon rods orsticks, I first grind it to a suitable degree of fineness and then mixthepowder with a paste consisting of the very or residuum known aswax-tailings or stillwax, which come over just after the so-called,paraffine-oils and during the coking down of the still. This compoundcan then be molded and baked in the usual manner. The advantage in theuse of the paste over that of ordinary pitch consists in its freedomfrom impurities, for, having passed through a vapor state, it is a purehydrocarbon, free from matters leaving ash, the impurities of the crudepetroleum being retained in the still; where as the pitchordinarilynsed' is the residuum from coal-tar and a' small percentagef;of the same, and contains all the impurities of the coal-tarconcentrated; These wax tailings may be still further improved bydriving off the lighter portions by partial distillation.

I make no claim to the construction of furnace herein shown anddescribed, as it constitutes the subject-matter of a separateapplication; but

What I claim is 1. The process of manufacturing carbon from hydrocarboncompounds, consisting in oxidizing the hydrogen of the hydrocarbon byheat ing a mixture of the hydrocarbon and an acid to such a degree thatdecomposition takes place, and continuing the same until all thedecomposition products are driven off, leaving a solid carbon as aresiduum, substantially as set forth.

2. An incandescent composition consisting of a mixture of pulverizedcarbon and the heavy distillate obtained in the'distillation ofpetroleum known as Wax-failings or stillwax, or with a product of thesame, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

HERMAN FRASOH. XVitnesses JNo. CRowELL, Jr., ALBERT E. LYNoH.

